Google is rolling out a major update to Chrome, integrating Gemini 3 directly into the browser to make web browsing more assistive, contextual, and increasingly agent-driven. The updates introduce a persistent AI side panel, deeper connections across Google apps, image transformation tools, and new agentic capabilities that allow Chrome to complete multi-step tasks on a user’s behalf.

The changes are launching for macOS, Windows, and Chromebook Plus, moving Chrome beyond a passive browser toward a more active AI assistant designed to help users work across the web with less friction.

At the center of the update is a new Gemini side panel that stays available no matter which tab a user is viewing. Rather than jumping between tabs or windows, Gemini can help with related tasks in the background, without interrupting what they’re already doing.

According to Google, early testers have used the side panel to:

The goal is to reduce unnecessary back-and-forth while keeping users focused on the task at hand, helping everyday browsing feel more efficient and less fragmented.

Google is also bringing Nano Banana, its image transformation tool, directly into Chrome. Rather than downloading images or opening separate apps, users can now modify images in place by describing what they want to change through the Gemini side panel.

Examples include:

Available to all Gemini in Chrome users, the tool allows images to be transformed on the fly without downloading files or opening a separate app.

Gemini in Chrome now supports Connected Apps, allowing the AI assistant to pull context from popular Google services, including:

These integrations allow Gemini to assist with tasks that span multiple apps, helping users get things done more quickly. For example, when planning travel, Gemini can reference old emails with event details, check flight options through Google Flights, and draft messages to colleagues about arrival times — all within Chrome. Similar workflows can apply to scheduling events, checking locations in Maps, or pulling context from Gmail and Calendar without switching between apps.

These features can be enabled in the Connected Apps section of Gemini Settings.

In the coming months, Google plans to bring Personal Intelligence to Chrome — a feature already available in the Gemini app. This capability allows Gemini to remember context from past interactions across the web, resulting in more personalized and relevant responses over time. Users can also add specific instructions to Gemini to further tailor how it responds.

Google emphasizes that Personal Intelligence is opt-in, with users retaining full control over which apps are connected and the ability to disconnect them at any time.

With this update, Chrome shifts from a general-purpose browser toward a more adaptive assistant that understands user preferences and ongoing tasks.

For years, Chrome has helped users complete simple tasks through features like autofill, automatically entering information such as addresses or payment details to save time. With auto browse, Google is extending that assistance beyond basic inputs to support more complex, multi-step actions across the web.

For AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S., Chrome auto browse introduces an agentic experience designed to handle tasks that typically require multiple steps or sites. Rather than manually researching, comparing, and submitting information, users can offload parts of these workflows to Gemini.

Auto browse can help with everyday tasks such as:

In more advanced scenarios, auto browse can also work with images. For example, if a user finds inspiration in a photo while planning a party, auto browse can identify items in the image, search for similar products, apply available discounts, and add them to a cart while staying within a set budget. With user permission, it can also use Google Password Manager to complete tasks that require signing in.

Chrome will also support Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard for agentic commerce developed alongside companies such as Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, and Target.

The protocol is designed to ensure AI agents can take commerce-related actions on a user’s behalf across participating platforms, helping standardize how agentic shopping experiences function on the web.

Google says Gemini in Chrome was built with new security defenses designed to address emerging AI-related threats. Importantly, auto browse pauses and requests explicit user confirmation for sensitive actions, such as making purchases or posting content to social media.

These safeguards are intended to ensure users remain in control over sensitive actions, even as Chrome takes on more autonomous behavior.

Q: What is Gemini in Chrome?
A: Gemini in Chrome is Google’s integration of its Gemini 3 AI model directly into the Chrome browser, allowing users to receive AI assistance, context, and automation while browsing the web.

Q: How does the new Gemini side panel work?
A: The side panel stays accessible across tabs, enabling users to ask questions, summarize content, compare information, or complete secondary tasks without interrupting their primary workflow.

Q: What is Chrome auto browse?
A: Chrome auto browse is an agentic AI feature that can perform multi-step actions on a user’s behalf, such as researching travel options, filling out forms, managing subscriptions, or organizing documents.

Q: Who can access auto browse features?
A: Chrome auto browse 2 is available to AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S.

Q: What are Connected Apps in Gemini?
A: Connected Apps allow Gemini to pull context from Google services like Gmail, Calendar, Maps, Flights, and Shopping to assist with workflows that span multiple apps.

Q: What is Personal Intelligence in Chrome?
A: Personal Intelligence allows Gemini to remember context from past interactions and provide more personalized assistance. It is opt-in, and users can control or disconnect connected apps at any time.

Q: What is the Universal Commerce Protocol?
A: The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) is an open standard designed to allow AI agents to complete shopping actions across participating platforms, including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, and Target.

Chrome is no longer positioning itself as just a window to the web — it’s becoming an active participant in how work gets done online. By embedding Gemini directly into the browser, Google is shifting everyday browsing toward an agent-assisted experience where research, decision-making, and execution increasingly happen in the same place.

For users, this means fewer tabs, less manual coordination across apps, and more tasks handled in the background — from travel planning to administrative work. For professionals, especially those juggling complex workflows, Chrome is evolving into a productivity layer rather than a passive tool.

At the same time, Google’s emphasis on opt-in controls, confirmation checkpoints, and security signals a cautious approach to autonomy. The company appears to be testing how far users are willing to let AI act on their behalf — and under what conditions.

More broadly, these updates reflect a growing industry shift toward an agentic web, where browsers and AI systems don’t just surface information but take action. As Chrome adopts this role, it may redefine expectations for what a browser is — and what users expect from AI-powered software moving forward.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.